Destiny
by sarahmancuso
Summary: Elliot is a young officer in his 20s and Olivia is just a girl who is trying to figure everything out. After running into the handsome member of the NYPD, Olivia (and Elliot) feels she has found her life path and has him to thank. Set pre-everything. Mild cursing/content so rated T to be safe. Enjoy :)


**Picture it: its -20 degrees outside, I'm sitting in my car that refuses to start, the fire alarm is never stopping and all of a sudden my brain explodes with E/O fanfic ideas!**

 **Not a lot of blatant romance but def E/O pairing. One-shot based on the idea that Benson and Stabler had met before they were partners. Hope you enjoy it and thanks! :)**

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 **October 1988, N.Y.C.**

Olivia Benson drags her friend, Marlise, through the moving crowd, laughing. The two giggling women manage to stumble the distance to the seedy bathroom located in the corner of the club. As they push the door open, the distinct smell of vomit mixed with cheap alcohol and a hint of cocaine filled their lungs-not that this was a bother to them, given their current condition.

"Did you _see_ him?! Ugh." Marlise let out a sigh as she leaned against the sink and reapplied her lipstick.

"Yeah yeah, Marls. He saw you too, believe me." Olivia was starting to get a little disappointed that she hadn't found a prospective beau tonight and was getting sick of her friend tossing her own success in her face. She closed the stall door behind her and sat down on the toilet so she could relieve herself. Had she been a little more sober, she would have attempted to hover to avoid germs.

"Don't be a buzzkill, Liv. You've landed a man every weekend this month and I have yet to have such success." Her friend had a point.

"I know, but…" Olivia sighed drunkenly as she flushed and made her way to the sink next to her friend. "I don't know…I guess I'm just…tired, ya know?"

"Tired?" Her friend scoffed and laughed. "Well, no, I don't know what you mean. I haven't been laid in _weeks_!" Olivia thought this through for a moment, feeling her body tingle as the alcohol continued to take effect. She gave an understanding nod before the both of them broke out in laughter.

They exited the bathroom before heading back towards the dancefloor that was packed with people. The two women had this routine down pat, by now. Every Friday and Saturday they would start in SoHo and work their way up to Midtown and then to the Upper East Side before ending up in Central Park by 3AM. After a full night of drinking, dancing, drinking some more, meeting men, and drinking some more, they would cool off in Central Park. They always found it so cliché and fitting; two city girls, partying the night away only to end up stargazing in Central Park…granted, stars were difficult to find and rain often put a damper on the mood. But, when you're young, careless and have some liquor in you, anything feels right.

"It's almost 3!" Olivia screams over the blaring music at her friend who still can't hear her, despite her efforts. "Marlise! Its. Almost. Three." This time Olivia moves away from the guy she was dancing with to get closer to her friend's ear.

"Okay! Hey, listen," Marlise gives her attractive new friend a look that tells him she won't be long before pulling her Olivia to the side. "Why don't you head back and I'll catch a cab later?" She asks.

"I don't know, Marls…" They never leave one another, those were the rules. Show up together, leave together.

"C'mon, Liv! Just look at him!" They both turned to eye the overly dressed 20-something man who continued to gyrate to the music on the dancefloor. Olivia was personally uninterested in his faux-mustache and pathetic chest hair but could see that her friend dissented with her. "Alright, but listen! Use protection, remember your pepper spray and take a cab back."

Marlise squealed happily and hugged her best friend before joining her prized beau back on the dancefloor. Olivia shook her head and headed for the exit. The street lights assaulted her eyes and she rubbed them as she stepped outside.

"Miss, do you need a cab?" The nice bouncer at the door asked her.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you!" Olivia gave him a big smiled and waved to him before walking down the street. She struggled to find her footing and laughed when the sidewalk began to tilt. It was a breezy October night and she regretted not wearing leggings; she was wearing a thigh-level black spaghetti strapped dress with black pumps and topped everything off with red lipstick. She had made the short journey back to her apartment many times before and had full confidence that she would do just that tonight.

It was about 15 blocks to her apartment and she would usually take a cab but the sky was so clear and she was so happy that she decided to walk. As she passed alleyways she scared the stray cats that had been rummaging in garbage cans and woke the homeless that were snoozing close by. Shortly into her journey, she started feeling restless. When she came upon a small playground located across the street, she couldn't resist.

She ran across the street, as best as she could, and gasped excitedly when she saw that there was also a small fountain next to the playground. She kicked off her heels and stepped over the stone edge so she could walk in the water of the fountain. The water only came to her ankles but she was having so much fun she let out a huge laugh and began to kick and splash the water. She continued for a good 10 minutes, splashing, running laps around the statue in the center of the fountain and all the while laughing.

"Ma'am, get out of the fountain." She heard a low voice, making her stop for a brief moment. The man shone his flashlight in her eyes, making her groan and shield them with her hands.

"Ma'am, I'm a New York City Police Officer. Step out of the fountain, now." The man was stern and clicked his flashlight off before approaching the fountain. Olivia focused her eyes on the officer and smiled when she saw how cute he was. He was young, about her age, she guessed, taller than her, striking blue eyes, brown hair and a rock-solid body.

"Funny. I don't remember ordering any male strippers tonight, but you are certainly more than welcome to entertain me!" She snorted loud and continued to twirl around in the water.

"What's your name, miss?" The officer stood, stone-like and unaffected by her drunk flirting.

"My name?! How nice of you to ask!" Olivia stepped out of the fountain only to lose her balance but was caught by the officer who held her elbow. He steadied her briefly and removed his hand, taking out a pad of paper and his pen.

"Have you been drinking tonight, ma'am?" He asked seriously. Apparently, she thought that was hilarious because she started laughing. She stifled her laugh and stood up tall-ish and put a serious face on.

"Yes. Yes I have." She ran her hand through her hair and crossed her arms, acting as sober as she could.

"I'm going to need your name, ma'am." The officer stated, jotting something down on the notepad.

"My name is Olivia Benson!" She gave him a wide grin, which was returned with a glare, and pointed at him, trying her best to be seductive. "And what, may I ask, is _your_ name?" She put her index finger on his shoulder and traced his flexed bicep over his uniform.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm gonna have to take you in." He put his notepad and pen away and pulled his handcuffs out but before he had a chance to cuff her, she slipped out of his grip and stumbled back to the playground.

"Nonono. You're not playing very fair, officer." Olivia tripped over her heels and stumbled up the small slide before turning around at the top of the playground to see him approaching. "I told you my name. Now I need yours."

"Ma'am, this is a private playground. You already have a drunk and disorderly, do you want to add trespassing? Now, get down." The young officer had clearly had enough of drunk people for the night and was not going to deal with her antics any longer. Olivia sighed and threw her hands across her chest like a five year old as she sat on the slide and slid down. She remained seated on the edge, still pouting, as he grabbed her wrist, making her stand, and clasped one cuff on her as he riddled off her rights. She sighed and put her other hand behind her back, allowing him to cuff both wrists.

"I'm going to need your license and pertinent information but first we need to walk to the patrol car." He told her pushing her towards the sidewalk.

"Wait! I need my shoes!" She tried to pull away but his grip remained. The officer yanked her slightly so she was in front of him again and bent down to grab her heels. "Thank you, Sergeant Dick." Olivia hissed under her breath as they continued to walk. She was feeling tired and, as much as she wanted to, she didn't protest as the officer pushed her down the sidewalk in cuffs.

"Are we walking all the way to the jail?!" She asked after a couple minutes, annoyed that she was even walking anywhere at the moment.

"My patrol car is parked over here." He said flatly, wanting his shift to be over so he could go home and get some rest. The young officer had been taking extra hours and this had been his 13th hour with no sleep.

"Greaaaat." She said sarcastically, tripping over her feet. "I'll get a first class escort with the NYPD's finest officer." Sarcasm was dripping off of every word now. She had started to sober up but still had enough alcohol in her to not be able to censor her words.

"Look lady," Suddenly, the officer stopped her and turner her to face him. "I'm this close from tacking noncompliance and disorderly conduct on."

Just then, in that very moment, their eyes connected for the first time. It was odd. Her brown eyes were drowning in his blue pools and neither could explain what was happening. Both could feel their heart rates quicken and it was as if time had ceased. They felt a sense of…déjà vu, nostalgia, belonging…all highly unusual emotions to be experiencing with a random stranger. The moment lasted for a good 10 seconds before a passing car broke the gaze and he continued to push her towards his patrol car.

They reached the car and he opened the back door and told her to sit with her legs on the outside of the car. Defeated, tired and no longer having fun, she complied with his orders.

"I'm going to need your license to verify your age and home address." He pulled his notepad out again and waited for her to hand him the license. When she didn't move, he looked at her to see her grinning, a look of irritation in her eyes.

"I'd gladly do so but I have no way of reaching it with these damn cuffs on." She said matter-of-factly. He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to stand up on the sidewalk so he could un-cuff her. Once released, she smirked and stuck her hand down the front of her dress, reaching in her bra for her ID. He tried not to openly gaze but snuck a quick look in before she handed him her ID. His gaze did not go unnoticed and she continued to smirk at the thought of this handsome member of the NYPD whom she might have a chance with.

He examined the license as she allowed her eyes to examine his body for the first time tonight. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, admiring every piece of sculpted muscle. His uniform hugged his bulging biceps and she could even make out his abs. While she hadn't been able to appreciate his backside, she was sure it was just as sculpted as the front side.

"Interesting," His voice interrupted her roaming mind. "What did you say your name was, again?"

She was starting to get a little nervous; it had been a fake ID but the guy she bought it from had promised her it would pass CIA standards. "Uh, Olivia Benson…why?"

"Well, your license says your name is Olivia Benton." He gave her a knowing smirk and almost felt satisfaction that he was going to add another charge to her growing list.

"Oh yeah, well…Benson is…just a nickname! _Benton_ is my last name." She tried to cover for herself while she had images of strangling her crappy friend for selling her a shotty ID that couldn't even pass a rookie cop's standards.

"Right…" He sighed disbelievingly and crossed his arms in front of his chest so he could properly stare her down. "Miss, how old are you?"

She knew she was busted and kicked the pavement while she started to bite her nails, contemplating whether she should lie or not. "…20."

He saw the look of fear and regret in her eyes and got that feeling again, the one in the pit of his stomach that had frozen time a minute ago. She looked into his eyes and it happened again…the feeling of déjà vu, a tug in the heart, the feeling of belonging and attraction.

"Have we…met before?" His voice was just a whisper as they continued to explore each other's souls with their eyes.

"I don't think so…" Her voice was almost inaudible. It was as if their bodies were magnetic, the pull so strong and if one didn't break the pull they would collide. He took the initiative and held her license out for her to take back, both blinking in confusion.

"Listen, I uh…my shift ends in an hour. By the time I get you in to booking and do the paperwork…" He started to feel sorry for the girl. Here she was, alone on the street and drunk with nobody to look after her and now he was going to arrest her? "Why don't I just give you a ride home and we call it even, huh?"

Olivia didn't need to give it too much thought. "Works for me." She smiled and hopped into the passenger side of the car, grabbing her heels from his hands. He shook his head at how brazen she was to sit up front but also admired her stubbornness and smiled before getting in the car himself. She navigated the short ride to her apartment, pointing to streets for him to turn down at the very last possible second. He should have been taken back by her and how she felt she could boss him around but he enjoyed it and let her.

"I'm this one, here." He pulled over to the curb and she hopped out. Just when he was pulling away she knocked on his window, making him roll his window down.

"You didn't have to do this, ya know." She smiled sincerely. "But thank you." He nodded knowingly before reaching for the handle to roll his window back up. She started to walk away but turned around just in time.

"I never did catch you name." For some reason, she needed to know. He stared at her, trying to decide whether or not he should tell her his name. He was an officer, not a friend, not an acquaintance even. Yet, he felt like he needed to share that detail with her.

"It's Elliot." He knew he should have just given his last name but wanted her to know his first name as if she already knew it. That's how this strange ordeal felt: as if they already knew each other but were going through the motions of introduction anyway.

Her face lit up when she heard his name and she smiled. "Well, thank you, _Elliot_." She thought the name was fitting, almost familiar. He gave a small smile and nodded before driving away. She felt her legs grow weak as she stood on the stoop to her apartment building and decided to finally call it a night.

Olivia spent the next week racking her brain, trying to remember where she knew the officer from. How had he looked, felt and sounded so familiar? She just couldn't figure it out but knew she had to repay him somehow. She felt horrible about how they met that night and was feeling horrible about her recent behavior in general. Her home life had never been great and ever since she graduated high school she had decided to live life on the rebellious side. Her mother was an alcoholic and Olivia hated to be around her more than she had to, so she got a job when she was 18, moved out and only visited when she needed to. With a best friend like Marlise, the typical party girl, she was out every weekend partying and meeting guys and drinking and doing things she wouldn't have pictured herself doing.

After meeting Elliot, she had this feeling that things would change for her and she felt like she wanted to change. In high school, she had thought about going to college for criminal justice studies and could picture herself being a social worker or something like that but after graduation she met Marlise. It's not that she was a bad friend; she was just a bad influence. And now she felt like meeting this Elliot character made her realize all of this. She didn't really believe in destiny but she had felt like her path in life was unknown until Elliot showed up and nudged her down the right path. She had to find him and thank him.

Unfortunately, she only had a first name to go on. She visited the nearest precinct and asked around but the officers just laughed and told her they knew at least 50 Elliots. She even checked with other precincts multiple times but after the third time, she figured it was no use. Plus, she couldn't stick around NYC looking for a guy who she had 20 minutes of interaction with and only a first name. She knew that she would see him sometime again, anyway.

In the fall of 1989, Olivia attended Siena College in Albany, NY and majored in Criminal Justice. Everyone back home thought she was impulsive, moving upstate to major in something she could do nothing with and knew nothing about. But she knew it was the right decision. She had been the product of rape and her mother was an alcoholic who blamed her for the rape; she knew these experiences could be put to good use and she was determined to get justice for victims. And that is exactly what she did. She graduated college and from the NYC Police Academy and was an officer at the 55th precinct before transferring to the 16th. The 16th was home of the SVU, which is where she wanted to be more than anything.

She worked damn hard for six years just to get notices by her superiors. She did damn good work on her cases and wanted to take the detective exam. When she nailed it, she thought she had made it big. The Monday when she was to start her new life as an SVU detective of the 16th precinct she threw up twice because she was so nervous. She had worked so hard to get to this place in her life that she knew if she made one mistake, she would screw it up.

She walked into the precinct and took the stairs to the second floor which was where the SVU was located. As she walked into the bullpen she noticed a handful of detectives already hard at work at their desks.

"You must be Detective Benson." A man, who she assumed was her captain, offered his hand. "Captain Cragan." She gave him a professional nod and small smile as he guided her to her desk.

"This is your desk. And this," He said pointing to a tall older man leaning on another desk. "is John Munch." The man smiled and shook Olivia's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Detective." Munch said before grabbing the newspaper and sitting back down.

She was then introduced to Munch's partner, Detective Jeffries. They exchanged a few words about her old precinct before a familiar voice came into the room.

"My new partner here yet, Cap?" She turned around in astonishment, doubting it could be who she thought it was at first. Sure enough, it was him.

"Elliot Stabler meet your partner Olivia Benson." The Captain watched as the two stood at a distance observing each other in amazement. Elliot walked over to her, standing close, not believing it was her. She looked older, as did he, but he could remember their first encounter like it was yesterday. They immediately felt that feeling that they had felt years ago. "You guys know each other?" Cragan was starting to get suspicious.

"No." They both spoke at the same time, starting a strange pattern of synchronicities that would continue for the next 12 years. They didn't look away from each other but heard their Captain say something about having to call someone before he could let them canvas the street for their perp. They had no idea what was going on and didn't want the Captain or anyone to panic, so they denied their previous engagement. Once again, they found themselves in a weird time warp where they knew each other and were comfortable with each other, as if they had known each other all along.

Finally, after at least 30 seconds of not being able to comprehend the pure serendipity of their reunion, Elliot spoke. "How the hell…"

"I don't know." She said shaking her head. "I've been working the 16th for five years now…I've been downstairs and you've…" She still couldn't believe that the man she had tried to find so long ago and had never forgotten was brought back to her…by destiny.

"This is so bizarre…" He was smirking now, amused by life's strange way of bringing her back. He had thought about her often over the years; how he felt in that moment and how she looked and how she smiled. She had thought of him as well; her actions, his looks, the feelings and the fact that she felt like she owed him for being involved in her success.

The two detectives talked the rest of the day about their lives and tried to figure out the sequence of events that led them together again. Neither could find a logical reason as to how they got partnered, of all people. While their relationship was still young, neither could ignore the feelings that they had for each other. The first few weeks were spent accidentally bumping into one another, casting sideways glances, making edgy remarks, etc. They were testing the boundaries, drawing the line that they would so easily and frequently tiptoe for the next twelve years. All in all, they decided to not waste time thinking about the how or why but to just take it for what it was: destiny.


End file.
